Puddles
by punkiemonkie
Summary: One stormy day, Tifa decides to teach Cloud how to play in the rain. --Oneshot. Cloud/Tifa. Rated for mild sexual themes--


**(A/N) **I woke up one morning to the sound of the rain, and I was attacked by blot bunnies that forced me to get out of bed and write down an idea for this. Thus, I have another story to add to my growing Cloud/Tifa arsenal. Woot! XD

As I said in the summary, there _are_ some minor sexual themes, but I didn't think they were bad enough to up the rating to T. It's clean fluff, really. ;P Like most of my other oneshots, this one takes place after _Advent Children_. Oh, and this is in Tifa's point of view. Enjoy! :D

**Puddles**

My eyelids flutter open slowly, shying away from the bright morning light filtering in through the window. I'm nice and warm underneath the covers, but the air is chilly on my face, making getting out of bed not sound very appealing. A peculiar noise reaches my ears, one that I'm unable to place for a moment. It comes first as a light tapping, and then slowly changes into a louder, continuous pitter-patter against the roof.

Rain.

It's autumn, so it's no surprise that it's raining here in Edge, but it's pleasant nonetheless. Ever since I was young I've enjoyed the rain; how it looks as it falls, how it makes the earth smell, and the way it feels on my skin. I saw a lot of rain growing up in Nibelheim, at least when it wasn't cold enough to snow. Seeing and hearing it now brings back memories from my childhood. It's a peaceful thing; calming.

Cloud shifts slightly beneath me, breathing deeply and evenly in his sleep. His arm that's draped across my hip tightens a little, pulling me closer against his body. I snuggle further into his chest, enjoying his warmth and the steady rhythm of his heart. We've been married for almost a year now, but I don't think I'll ever get over how wonderful it feels to wake up next to him every morning.

It's the middle of the week, Wednesday, but we both decided to take the day off and sleep in for a change. It was actually his idea, which was nice, because usually I'm the one bugging him to take some time off from work. Denzel and Marlene have been staying with Barret for the past couple of weeks, like they do occasionally, so Cloud and I have been able to get some much-needed time alone while they've been away.

He moves under me again, this time letting out a quiet yawn and bringing one hand up to rub his eyes. I smile, glad that he's awake and I can share this perfect, tranquil morning with him.

"Good morning," I whisper against his chest.

I can almost feel him smile in response. His smile comes easily now, but it still warms my heart every time I get to see it.

"Morning," he says quietly, his voice slightly raspy from sleep.

The hand that was resting on my hip strays downward, stroking the back of my thigh back and forth tenderly, in the way that he knows I love. I tilt my head back, craning upward so that I can brush my lips against his neck softly, planting quick kisses across his smooth skin. He makes a little sound of approval deep within his throat, and I smile again, placing my cheek back against his chest and tucking my head beneath his chin.

"Do you hear the rain?" I ask after a moment of content silence.

I don't ever feel the need to fill silence with idle talk around him. It's always comfortable, but I still like hearing the sound of his voice.

"Hmm," he murmurs in agreement.

Of course he can hear it; he has better hearing than I do, even without the mako enhancements anymore.

"I love it," I say with a sigh, turning my face into his chest and inhaling his scent; it's even more pleasant than the smell of the rain.

He makes a disapproving grunt, causing my eyebrows to furrow with confusion. I pull away from him, propping myself up on my elbow so I can look at his face. He stares up at me curiously, a lazy smile on his lips, the blond spikes of his hair surrounding his face in messy disarray. He lifts one hand up to brush my bangs out of my face, his fingers lingering on my cheek; bright blue eyes focused on mine.

"You don't like the rain?" I ask curiously.

He glances away, looking towards the clock on the table by our bed, shrugging slightly. "Not really."

It takes me a moment to grasp the meaning of his words; it sounds so backwards.

"Why not?" I demand of him in disbelief.

How could anyone not like the rain? It seems absurd to me, because I find such beauty in it.

Cloud looks back at me, seeming to be amused that I'm taking this so seriously, a smirk pulling up one corner of his mouth.

"I don't know, Tifa, I just don't," he says dismissively.

I frown at him, not willing to let it go. "Didn't you play in it when you were a kid?" I insist.

His eyes dart away from my gaze, still grinning slightly, but looking more embarrassed now. He avoids my eyes by focusing on a lock of my hair that he's busy playing with; twisting and twirling it between his fingers. I wonder what I said to cause that reaction.

"My mom never let me go outside when it was raining," he explains slowly, trying to look preoccupied with my hair. "She didn't want me to get sick or track mud into the house, I guess." He shrugs again, trying to brush it off.

I give a slight nod in understanding. That still doesn't explain why it embarrassed him when I brought it up, though, so my frown stays in place. I continue staring at him meaningfully until he sighs deeply, evidentially deciding to give me the full answer.

"I used to watch you playing outside when it rained," he admits sheepishly, his cheeks flushing slightly.

I smile widely in response, satisfied and flattered by his answer. Cloud and I were never close growing up, due to a number of reasons, but I know now that he always really cared about me. I suppose that I had a little bit of a crush on him, too.

"Really?" I ask, beaming at him.

He chuckles nervously, meeting my eyes again. "Yeah, from my bedroom window."

A slow smile spreads across his face when he registers my response, and I lean down to touch his lips with mine lightly. One of his hands comes up to tangle in my hair, keeping me close to him while he moves his lips against mine softly. A smile forms on my mouth even as I kiss him back, and I sigh against him; completely lost in the feeling for an immeasurable moment.

"You know what would be fun?" I ask as I pull back from him finally, slightly short of breath.

He cocks an eyebrow, grinning at me suggestively. I understand his implication almost immediately, and I giggle lightly.

"Not that," I say, shaking my head.

His devious grin disappears and he frowns at me, looking rejected. It's all I can do to keep from bursting out into laughter because of his reactions.

"We should go outside and play in the rain," I suggest enthusiastically, sitting up so that I'm straddling his hips, the covers falling away from my shoulders and making me shiver.

When I was growing up, every time it rained I would run outside before my father could stop me, and splash around in all the puddles around our little town. I'd come home soaking wet and covered in mud, but I always really enjoyed it. That very same thing is starting to sound like a lot of fun right now, too. Cloud missed out when he was younger, but that doesn't mean I can't teach him how to love the rain today.

One of his eyebrows rises again, but this time in confusion. "You're serious?" he asks in disbelief.

"Yeah," I say with more conviction; my enthusiasm growing by the second.

He stares at me blankly for a moment, his blond eyebrows pulling together, obviously taken aback by my idea.

"Come on, it will be fun," I urge, shifting off of him and climbing out of the bed.

I'm suddenly grateful that I choose to wear socks to bed last night, because it helps a lot against the wooden floorboards on mornings like this; I can feel how cold they are even through the fabric. We have several rugs scattered around the house, but obviously we can't cover the entire floor with them. Apparently Cloud forgot to take the same precaution, because I hear him almost yelp when he slides out of the bed and his bare feet touch the freezing floor.

I run into the bathroom to brush my teeth and comb through hair swiftly, and then head downstairs for a quick breakfast. I make a small batch of pancakes, since it's just for the two of us this morning, and some hot chocolate; keeping with the wintry mood of the day. Cloud follows after me reluctantly, copying my routine although he's shaking his head in doubt.

He sighs audiably as I get up from the table after swallowing the last bite of my pancake; heading for the sink. He hasn't said a word since we got out of bed, he's just been eyeing me curiously, but he finally speaks up while I'm hastily washing my dishes.

"You're really going to go outside and jump around in the puddles?" he asks again, incredulity still coloring his tone.

"Uh-huh," I say as I retrieve my jacket and my shoes from by the back door, watching him get up from the table.

"The neighbors will think we've gone nuts." He says it seriously, but it's followed by a quiet chuckle.

I'm almost afraid that he's going to try and back out of it, but I'm reassured when he finishes with his dishes and copies my example again; stepping into his boots and pulling on a jacket. When he walks over to me I take his hand, pulling him out the front door and shutting it behind us.

Seventh Heaven is in the middle of a fairly narrow street, maybe thirty yards away from the other buildings across from us. Shops and houses line both sides of the road, built close together but divided by alleyways in between a few of them. The whole scene looks darker today than it normally does; the dull grays of the buildings, sidewalks and the pavement all turned a darker shade by the rain.

An eager smile spreads across my face when I note the sufficient amount of rain collected in the street and along the sidewalk, creating puddles that will be perfect for jumping in. There really aren't that many citizens that own vehicles in Edge; most people just walk everywhere since it's not all that big, so I'm not worried about anyone driving down the street and interrupting my fun.

I let go of Cloud's hand, stepping out from underneath the awning that hangs over our door, and out into the street. I lift my head to the sky, letting the raindrops fall on my face and dampen my hair. I stand there for a moment, trying to memorize the feeling, before I hear his voice from behind me.

"I thought we were going to be jumping in puddles?" he reminds me.

I look back at him from over my shoulder, noting the sarcastic look in his eyes and the grin hinting at the corners of his mouth.

"I'm getting to that," I reply with a smile.

Looking away from him, I scan the ground, searching for just the right one. I run over to the closest pool of water, jump a little off the ground, and land directly in the middle of it. Water sprays out in all directions, large, icy droplets soaking into my pants along with the mud from the street. I find myself giggling delightedly, invigorated by the simple action and immediately reminded of why I loved doing this so much as a child. I skip over to the next puddle to splash into it as well, grinning the whole time.

Cloud's laughter suddenly interrupts my game, and I turn to look over at him, still standing on the sidewalk by our front door. He laughs quietly, like he usually does; a comforting sound that makes me smile even wider. I can tell that he must really be getting a kick out of watching me though, because of the amused twinkle in his eyes.

"You look ridiculous," he calls over to me, his smile lessening the teasing jab.

I stick my tongue out at him in response. "Come on, it's fun!" I yell back at him from where I'm standing in the middle of the street.

Not waiting for his response, I go back to hopping into each of the puddles, not minding that every one of them adds to the blotches of mud on my pants, going all the way up to my knees now. I stop suddenly though, when I'm startled by the sound of a splash that I didn't make. I turn quickly, and the sight of Cloud standing in the street behind me possibly the most comical thing I've ever seen.

He looks back at me with an almost bewildered expression, standing in the middle what I assume was a puddle just a few seconds ago. Just like me, the legs of his pants are covered in water and mud, but as I watch him a slow smile spreads across his face, and then a chuckle bubbles up from his throat. I laugh with him, pleased that he's finally given in and he's enjoying himself with my little pastime.

When his laughter has worn down, Cloud strides over to me, his arms sliding around my waist. He looks down to meet my eyes, the spikes of his hair starting to droop from the rain and the tips of them dripping occasionally. He leans down a little, his nose brushing against mine before out lips meet. He coaxes my lips open gently with movements of his own, and I trail my tongue along his bottom lip, enjoying the way the rain changes his taste.

"Thank you," he says softly as he pulls back from me.

I stare at him curiously, cocking my head to the side, trying to figure out what he means.

"For dragging me out here, I mean," he clarifies, a grin spreading across his face. "This was actually fun,"

I smile in return, grabbing his cheek and pulling his face down to rejoin my lips with his.

In the back of my mind, I'm aware that we _both_ surely look ridiculous now; two adults standing in the middle of the street, soaking wet and covered in spattered mud up to our knees like little kids that have been playing in the rain. But we're having fun, and we're together, so that's all that matters to me.

**The End**

**(A/N) **Just some good, clean romance. I try to keep them in character though, because I _know_ Cloud's not a fluffy kind of guy. Except for his hair, maybe. ;P I'd like to think that Tifa would be the one to make him do fun, silly things that he normally wouldn't try on his own. :3 I got to use one of my favorite phrases in this, so yay! (It's "taken aback". XD) And I completely _adore_ the rain. :3

You can bet that whatever I write next will be Cloud/Tifa. I can't stop writing about this couple, I love them to death! :D And if you like this one, then check out my other Cloud/Tifa stories! ;P And as always, check my profile for updates, news and such.

Reviews are like chocolate, and I've got a major sweet tooth. Take a minute to satisfy it, will you? ;P

-punkiemonkie


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